The Fresno Grizzlies, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, issued an apology for a Memorial Day video that implied Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was an “enemy of freedom,” Roll Call reported.
The video was played on the big screen during a Grizzlies home game Monday in Fresno, California. The team did not create the video, but rather found it on YouTube. The Grizzlies claimed they did not properly vet it.
The video plays audio of President Ronald Reagan’s 1981 inaugural address. During a portion of the address during which Reagan brings up “the enemies of freedom” and “those who are potential adversaries,” the video shows images of Kim Jong-un, Fidel Castro and Ocasio-Cortez, implying the freshman New York Democrat is on similar footing as the North Korean dictator and the former Cuban president.
The progressive Ocasio-Cortez has attracted many supporters and many critics during her stay in Congress so far.
The Grizzlies released the following statement, in which they called pairing Ocasio-Cortez with Jong-un and Castro “misleading and offensive editing”:
— Fresno Grizzlies (@FresnoGrizzlies) May 28, 2019
As the first statement did not apologize to Ocasio-Cortez directly, the Grizzlies then wrote a second statement on Twitter saying, “We’re embarrassed we allowed this video to play without seeing it in its entirety first. We unconditionally apologize to Rep. Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) in addition to our fans, community and those we hurt. It was a mistake and we will ensure that nothing like it ever happens again.”
This is the first year the Grizzlies have been affiliated with the Nationals.
Update: Ocasio-Cortez responded to the controversy on Twitter Tuesday evening:
What people don’t (maybe do) realize is when orgs air these hateful messages, my life changes bc of the flood of death threats they inspire.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 28, 2019
I‘ve had mornings where I wake up & the 1st thing I do w/ my coffee is review photos of the men (it’s always men) who want to kill me. https://t.co/hiYbPghad7
I don’t even get to see all of them. Just the ones that have been flagged as particularly troubling.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 28, 2019
It happens whenever Fox gets particularly aggressive + hateful, too. Young interns have to constantly hear hateful messages (far beyond disagreement) from ppl we don’t even rep.
All of this is to say that words matter, and can have consequences for safety.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 28, 2019
For those who believe in “free speech”: whose free speech do you believe in?
Bc some folks using free speech to defend racism are also supporting folks passing laws to allow running over protesters.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.